Let me preface this page by explaining how I passed chemistry: I did not understand a word the teacher said. He was so far out in left field I was never going to find him. I say it was bad teaching but maybe I was not being very bright.
Two of my friends sat behind me designing race cars. Never listened to a word of the lecture. After being confused for 45 minutes, I would turn around to the guys and they would clear everything up in 45 seconds.
I was terrified to try physics. That was the end of me and the hard sciences.
Moral of the story? You probably should not listen to me try to explain oxidative stress. You have been warned so I am forging ahead.
I keep running into titles like The Role of Oxidative Stress in AMD. Great. It is important. What the hey is it?
Revisiting my horrible experience in chemistry my junior year, I vaguely remember learning atoms have electrons that spin around the nucleus in shells. Shells are orbits and for simplicity sake we will say they go out from the nucleus in concentric circles. (They really don’t but cut me a break. Two kids drawing race cars saved my chem grade.)
Each of the shells has an ideal number of electrons that orbit there. Although a shell is generally OK without the ideal number, it still tries to have that number. Sometimes it loses some electrons. Sometimes it steals some electrons and sometimes it shares some electrons with another atom that is also longing for its ideal number.
This desire to be ‘whole’ and to fill its outer shell with the ideal number of electrons is what is called being reactive. Often being reactive is a great thing for an atom. It gets to hook up with other atoms and make all sorts of crazy new molecules.
However there are times reactivity is not a good thing. Sometimes an atom may do some ‘electron rustling’ and steal from a neighbor. That atom is now out of kilter and it does some electron rustling of its own. Before you know it, there is a full-blown range war going on in your atoms. There is no peace in the valley! This is oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress, just like a range war, can leave a lot of destruction in its wake. With all that electron rustling happening, things get damaged and broken. This is some of what is happening in our eyes.
You cannot totally eliminate oxidative stress but there are ways to restore the peace. Enter antioxidants.
Antioxidants have electrons to give to that first electron rustler. They allow that atom to be ‘complete’ by donating some electrons to fill its outer shell. If that atom has its needs satisfied early, it won’t feel the need to go rustle. Range war – errrrrrr, oxidative stress – averted.
Vitamins C and E are antioxidants. Also vitamin A. [Lin/Linda here: if you have Stargardt’s Disease, you do NOT want any extra vitamin A. Click here to read more about why that is.] Eating red, orange and yellow fruits and veggies can be very good for you. You can also get antioxidants in supplements. However, like all good things, they should be indulged in with moderation.
So that is my take on oxidative stress. I hope the guys would be proud of me.
Click here for another explanation of oxidative stress by Dr. Andrew Weil.